Fluid dispensing device

ABSTRACT

A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF A FLUID MATERIAL SUCH AS TOOTHPASTE, HAND CREAM, PERFUME OR THE LIKE IS DISPENSED IN THE FORM OF AN ELONGATED CAPSULE ADAPTED TO BE SQUEEZE TO DISCHARGE THE FLUID MATERIAL FOR USE. THE CAPSULES ARE INDIVIDUALLY REMOVED FROM A DEPENSING DEVICE IN WHICH THEY ARE FED BY GRAVITY TO THE LOWER END OF A CHAMBER HAVING A SLOT THEREIN THROUGH WHICH A PORTION OF THE CAPSULE IS EXPOSED SO THAT IT CAN BE ENGAGED BY THE FINGER FOR MOVEMENT LENGTHWISE THROUGH AN OPENING IN AN END WALL OF THE CHAMBER.

Oct. 31, 1972 J. B. RINGKAMP 3,70 1,575-

FLUID DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Feb. 10, 1971 INVENTOR /0$EPH B,BIA/(:KAMP

s MM ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,701,575 FLUID DISPENSING DEVICEJoseph B. Ringkamp, 515 J elferson Ave, Morrisville, Pa. 19067 FiledFeb. 10, 1971, Ser. No. 114,322 Int. Cl. A47f 1/00 U.S. Cl. 312-45 9Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A predetermined amount of a fluidmaterial such as toothpaste, hand cream, perfume or the like isdispensed in the form of an elongated capsule adapted to be squeezed todischarge the fluid material for use. The capsules are individuallyremoved from a dispensing device in which they are fed by gravity to thelower end of a chamber having a slot therein through which a portion ofthe capsule is exposed so that it can be engaged by the finger formovement lengthwise through an opening in an end wall of the chamber.

FIELD OF INVENTION Many types of article dispensing devices are knownbut few if any are adapted for use in dispensing predetermined amountsof paste or liquid material in a form for convenient use. Thus devicesfor dispensing toothpaste, perfumes, hand cream and the like generallyproject the material in the form of a paste or liquid which tends todrip or smear up the equipment rendering it unsightly and unsanitary.Moreover, much of the material thus dispensed is spilled and wasted sothat it cannot be used.

THE PRESENT INVENTION In accordance with the present invention materialsin the form of paste, liquid or creams are enclosed within elongated,flexible containers or capsules formed of rupturable material such asgelatine, plastic or the like and each containing a predetermined amountof the material to be dispensed. The capsules are arranged within adispenser so that they may move by gravity to the lower end of thedispenser where they are held in place adjacent an opening in the sidewall of the dispenser while the lower portion of the capsule ispositioned so that it will be exposed and may be engaged by a usersfinger for movement longitudinally through the opening in the dispenserwall for use as required.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating a typical form ofdispenser and bracket embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the lower portion of thedispenser illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the bracket embodied in the assembly ofFIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective of the chamber employed in the assembly of FIGS.1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective illustrating the manner in which a capsule maybe dispensed from the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective showing a typical use of a capsule in accordancewith the present invention, and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an alternative form of bracket in accordancewith the present invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In that form of the inventionchosen for purposes of illustration in FIGS. 1 to 6 of the drawings aquantity of the material to be dispensed, which is in fluid form and maybe toothpaste, hand cream, lotion, perfume or the like, is filled intoeach of a plurality of cylindrical 3,701,575 Patented Oct. 31, 1972elongated capsules formed of flexible and rupturable material such asgelatine, plastic composition or the like. Each individual capsule isfitted with a predetermined amount of the fluid material correspondingto the normally used quantity such as that amount of toothpaste employedfor brushing ones teeth. After being filled each capsule is closed andsealed for use in a dispensing device. As shown in FIG. 6, for example,an elongated capsule 2 of generally cylindrical shape after having beendispensed for use may be squeezed at one end so as to rupture the casing4 of the capsule to discharge a predetermined amount of tooth paste 6onto a tooth brush 8 for use. The emptied capsule can then be discardedwhereas the toothpaste itself is in a clean sanitary condition and noneof it will be smeared about on other surfaces or be wasted.

The individual capsules are dispensed for use by means of a dispensingdevice as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. The dispensing device comprises abracket 10 having a 'base 12 adapted to be secured to a wall or othersupport by fastening means 14. Parallel holding members 16 projectoutwardly from the base 12 and are designed to receive a cartridge 18 inthe form of a chamber 20 having parallel side walls 22 spaced apart adistance somewhat exceeding the diameter of the cylindrical or elongatedcapsules 2 to be dispensed. The capsules are positioned one aboveanother within the chamber 20 of the cartridge whereby a filledcartridge containing a number of the capsules may be inserted betweenthe holding members 16 for use. The holding members 16 and cartridge 18have interconnecting means thereon fo'r removably holding the cartridgein place and in a vertical position on the bracket 10. Thus the holdingmembers 16 may have inwardly projecting studs 24 engageable withrecesses 26 on the outer surfaces of the side walls 22 of the chamber 20of the cartridge 18.

The side walls 22 of the chamber 20 present smooth inwardly facingvertical surfaces which are parallel throughout the upper portion of thesurfaces but are provided with inwardly inclined or projecting loweredge portions 28 which are spaced apart a distance somewhat less thanthe predetermined diameter of the capsules to be dispensed. The loweredge portions thus define a slot 30 which extends parallel to the sidewalls of the chamber 20 and has capsule supporting means at oppositesides of the slot. The slot 30 is of such width that the lowermostcapsule is partially exposed and may partially project through the slotinto a position whereby it may be engaged by ones finger as shown inFIG. 5 for longitudinal movement through an opening 32 formed in the endwall 34 of the chamber 20 and of a size or shape exceeding thepredetermined diameter of the capsules 2 to be dispensed.

In using the construction shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings a numberof capsules 2, each containing a predetermined amount of the toothpasteor other material to be dispensed, are inserted into the open upper end36 of the cartridge 18 so as to be arranged one above the other parallelto the slot 30. The lowermost capsule in the cartridge will be held inplace by the inwardly projecting capsule holding means 28 so as tosupport the other capsules in parallel horizontal positions between theside walls 22 of the chamber 20. At the same time the lower portion ofthe lowermost capsule will be exposed through the slot 30 and locatedadjacent the opening 32 in the end wall 34 of the chamber. The loadedcapsule is then inserted into the space between the holding members 16of bracket 10 and held in place by engagement of the studs 24 on theholding members with the recesses 26 in the side walls 22 of the chamberof cartridge 18.

Thereafter the capsules may be removed one at a time from the chamber bymoving the lowermost capsule 32 longitudinally through the opening 32 inthe end wall 34 of the cartridge. As each capsule is removed from thedispensing device the others will move downward within the chamber 20and into place to be removed for use. When all of the capsules in thecartridge 18 have been thus removed the empty cartridge can be removedfrom the bracket and a new cartridge filled with capsules can beinserted into place as a refill.

In some instances it may be desired to provide a number of cartridges oradjacent dispensing devices for the dispensing of capsules filled withthe same or different fluid materials. Thus as shown in FIG. 7 a bracket40 may be provided with a suitable number of parallel holding members 42projecting therefrom to receive and hold several cartridges of capsulesin side by side relation.

It will accordingly be apparent that the particular embodiments of theinvention which have been shown in the drawings and described above areintended to be illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scopeof the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device for dispensing toothpaste or other material contained ingenerally cylindrical capsules of a pre-determined diameter, said devicecomprising a chamber having smooth opposite side walls spaced apart attheir lower edges by a slot which extends parallel to said side wallsand is of less Width than said pre-determined diameter of the capsulesin said chamber that will be exposed through said slot; said slot beingsized to support a capsule with a lower most portion of the capsuleextending below the slot; said chamber having an end wall with anopening formed therein of greater size than said pre-determined diameterof a capsule, said opening being located adjacent to one end of saidslot so that a capsule exposed through said slot may be moved, by fingerpressure on a lower surface of the capsule, axially out of said chamberthrough the opening in the end wall thereof.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the lower edges of the sidewalls of the chamber project inwardly toward each other to presentcapsule supporting means at opposite sides of said slot along which acapsule may be moved through said opening in the end Wall of thechamber.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said opposite side walls ofthe chamber are substantially parallel and spaced apart a distance onlyslightly greater than said predetermined diameter.

4. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said capsules are formed offlexible rupturable material.

5. A device as defined in claim 1 including a bracket by which saidchamber is held in a vertical position.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 wherein said chamber is removablysupported 'by said bracket.

7. A device as defined in claim 6 wherein said chamber and bracket haveinterengaging elements for releasably holding said chamber in apredetermined position in said bracket.

8. A device as defined in claim 7 wherein said bracket has spacedparallel walls positioned on opposite sides of the opposite side wallsof the chamber and said side walls of the bracket and side walls of thechamber have interengaging means thereon releasably holding said chamberin a vertical position in said bracket.

9. In combination with a chamber having a slot in a lower portionthereof, and an opening formed adjacent an end of the slot, a pluralityof elongated capsules arranged in superposed relation within saidchamber and movable successively under the action of gravity into aposition wherein a portion of the lower most capsule is exposed throughsaid slot, While being supported therein, and is located adjacent saidopening, said capsules being individually removable longitudinallythrough said opening in response to finger pressure being asserted on alower surface of said lower most capsule in the direction of saidopening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,627,870 5/1927 Seidemann 312-451,869,944 8/1932 Raney 312-45 1,922,996 8/1933 Wester 206-412 R2,299,027 10/ 1942 Novak 312-45 X 3,601,252 8/1971 Sager 206-56 AAFOREIGN PATENTS 967,105 3/1950 France 312-45 1,065,790 1/1954 France312-45 1,356,956 2/1964 France 206-56 AC JAMES C. MITCHELL, PrimaryExaminer

